Nevermind [90s fic]

Chapter 19: Don't Say It

Because the cover visual for the chapter isn't loading🙄. @wattpad fix your mess:

***
December, 1995
Dillard High School - Fort Lauderdale, FL

It wasn't enough. Not by a long shot. Eli's jaw clenched as he adjusted his helmet, glaring across the field at the Panthers' players, beads of sweat trickling down his temples and nose, collecting dirt on the way. The weight of the game hung heavy in the air: 21-17. It shouldn't be like this. The game was not going according to his plan. The star quarterback sat his hands on his hips with a hefty huff shooting out through his nostrils, and as he looked around the bleachers he managed to spot every long lasting look of disappointment while ignoring the ones that expressed how proud they were of him. It fed the anger boiling inside of him that had been festering since the first quarter.

The whistle blew, sharp and jarring, cutting through the electric buzz of the crowd. The halftime show had just wrapped up, and the stands were a cacophony of noise—eager fans of both teams ready for the second half. But the Eagles' sideline was tense. The Panthers were up and cockier than ever, and Eli felt every second of it.

Eli's jaw clenched as he watched the players line up, sweat stinging his eyes under the field lights. "Focus," he told himself. He looked to the sideline where Andy stood, talking to August, gesturing wildly about a missed pass on the last drive toward the end of the second quarter. Something in him snapped, and he charged over there despite the lack of time he had to give Andy a piece of his mind he didn't get the chance to in the locker room, since Coach Tyler took up that time to talk endlessly. "Yo! Come here, let me tell you something," Eli shouted as he ran into Andy, who wore a cocky grin plastered across his face.

"What?" Andy's tone was dismissive.

"Stop trying to be a hero out there. When we're out there, your job is to stick to the damn plays I'm calling out. You're running the ball, not a circus act."

Andy snorted in disbelief that he was being scolded right now. "Look, man, if I can break through the line, I'm gonna take it. Not my fault they don't give you the space to do your job," Andy snapped back, facing Eli squarely. "We're trying to win this game, not play it safe."

"No, YOU'RE trying to win this game. You're out here tryna make highlight reels, man, it's all a fucking joke to you," Eli shoved him with just his index finger to the chest.

Sharp-eyed and annoyed, his chest heaving as he stepped forward, Andy matched his volume as he challenged Eli's statement, "What the hell do you mean, 'highlight reels'? I scored! I'm responsible for the last two touchdowns, I'M keeping the damn ball moving!"

Eli's lips curled in frustration and it took everything in him to not punch Andy in the face. "You're being selfish! We've got to play as a TEAM, not just for you to have a couple extra yards to gloat over! You're fucking up MY plays—I'm not gonna let you do that this time, NOT with everything on the fucking line for us! This is the Offs, the biggest games of the year—my future in football is riding off this!"